1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to systems for obtaining methane coal gas from wells and, more particularly, is concerned with a multiple well header system for the collection of methane coal gas.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Environmental air and water quality is improved in several ways when methane gas from coal deposits can be collected efficiently, safely and economically for use as fuel. First, methane coal gas collection reduces the volume of methane gas that otherwise would be released directly from the coal deposits into the environmental atmosphere. Second, increased methane coal gas utilization will reduce the growth of the demand for other conventional fuels, such as coal and oil, which produce effluents that adversely affect the quality of air and water.
Raw methane coal gas which typically has water vapor entrained therein is collected from wells sunk in coal fields. Various systems have been installed over the years for obtaining and collecting raw methane coal gas from the wells in preparation for pumping the methane coal gas into the gas pipeline distribution system. These collection systems have many well-known drawbacks.
A typical prior art gas collection system employs a header disposed at about a forty-five degree angle relative to the ground. Pipes coming from separate wells are connected to the inclined header in a series relationship with one another and at spaced apart locations on the inclined header such that the pipes are disposed at different staggered levels relative to the ground. The inclined header receives the raw methane coal gas from the separate pipes and the separation of water vapor from the gas is expected to occur in the inclined head merely due to the force of gravity on the heavier water vapor. Heretofore, water vapor separation has been both inefficient and incomplete in this prior art collection system based on the use of inclined collection heads. As a result, a substantial amount of the entrained water vapor enters into and adversely affecting the operation of the gas pipeline distribution system.
Also, in this prior art gas collection system, meters are mounted to the pipes for recording the amount of raw methane coal gas passing through the pipes prior to collection in the inclined header. The locations at which and the manner in which these meters are mounted to the pipes tends to cause settling out of water from the gas in the meters which frequently causes a water lock condition that impedes their operation.
Further, recorders on the meters have to be viewed by a worker in order to periodically take readings and make a production record. This worker commonly has to climb upon the pipes to get near enough to the recorders to visually take the readings. This procedure makes it awkward, difficult and time-consuming for the worker and actually places the worker in relatively unsafe situation which frequently results in inadequate records being taken and in some instances injury to the worker.
While this prior art gas collection system may be a step in the right direction, it falls far short of an optimum system for the collection of methane coal gas from multiple wells. As a consequence, a pressing need still exists for innovations which will overcome the aforementioned problems encountered in the collection of methane coal gas from wells without introducing any new problems in the process.